Xbox in the middle

I consider myself a PC gamer, but why I am not an Xbox gamer? What happened, and what it is happening in the Xbox universe that has shifted away players like centrifugal force? For once I am not thinking about marketing and PR mistakes.

Xbox, during its videogaming history, has contributed to the industry in significant ways, specifically to the console market. Online play, Voice chat, PC oriented architecture are some of the examples.

Those contributions were not received as groundbraking right away, Xbox Live really took off during Xbox 360, especially regarding PC architecture. Nowdays consoles like PS4 and Xbox One based themselves on PC principles.

The point and analogy I am trying to make is that Xbox is kind of the middle child right now: overlooked despite its potential. Sure PS4 is selling better, getting some neat games, while PC is driving so fast is barely visible and Nintendo swims in its own market, but thinking that the first year of a console can mark the future of a console is not fair.

Right now Xbox One is doing some right moves, but as soon as PS4 does something, community is over there discussing it. The opinion I have is that even if Xbox One departments close the best deals, Xbox One is going to be overlooked. That is one of the main reason we are getting Project Scorpio, to have a fresh start.

Xbox One is going to be overlooked

This is what has been happening in every generation of console, but with Xbox is emphasized because consoles are really close in terms of library and architecture. Xbox was overlooked during PS2-GCN era, PS3 was in the middle during the Xbox 360-Wii era.

Telling which console is in the middle is simple, take the market leader, think about which console is dictating portings, look at which console is the most discussed in the community. The one that is not included in either of these categories is the console in the middle.

That doesn't mean it shouldn't be there, it shouldn't deserve to be there, but what follows that situation is toning down the console voice, despite the quality it can give. Banal example: if a console is worth 6, if it is in the middle it will be perceived as definetely less.

What can Xbox, and specifically Phil Spencer, do to change this situation? Basically nothing, because the first year or so determines if your console is going to be in the middle. That is why Project Scorpio is an excellent move: a fresh start for Xbox One and a chance for PS4 Neo to may be the next one in the middle.